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Political BLOG |
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Joe Arnold
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February 2009 ArchivesDemocratic Party Chairwoman Jennifer Moore has written a farewell e-mail to democrats. The KDP will pick Charlie Moore, a relative of Jennifer's, as the new party chair this weekend. Here's Jennifer Moore's e-mail: ...The state senate has passed an executive branch ethics bill that Governor Beshear opposes. ...
This looks a little too neat and tidy. Politico is quoting three sources as saying Bunning told lobbyists at a fundraiser that he might quit and let Kentucky's democratic governor appoint someone to take his place. Exact same story as C-J has. Same number of sources. >> Continue reading: Politico Has Same Story, Probably Same Sources As C-J On Bunning Story There's a legitimate question being asked by the editor of PageOneKentucky. Should a Metro Council member be using government e-mail to invite people to lunchtime discussions about Easter and the resurrection of Christ? ...Senate President David Williams and Lexington Herald-Leader columnist Larry Dale Keeling had a brief, angry exchange during the weekly news conference with Williams and House Speaker Greg Stumbo. ...
Senate President David Williams and House Speaker Greg Stumbo told reporters today that they both support freezing Kentucky's gas tax to help shore up Kentucky's road fund. The gas tax is tied to price of gasoline which has dropped since last year. That means the gas tax is scheduled to go down four cents. ...Democratic Metro Council members used a last minute bait-and-switch maneuver to kill a bipartisan effort to toughen Louisville Metro government's ethics code last night. The proposed code has some transparency problems but none of them were brought up until moments before the council was ready to vote on the compromise plan which had been developed over several mon... Jobless Kentuckians will be getting an extra 25 bucks a week in their unemployment checks. It's part of the federal stimulus package recently signed into law by President Obama. Here's the release from the governor's office: ...The son of former republican presidential candidate Ron Paul may run for U.S. Senate in Kentucky next year. The younger Paul lives in Bowling Green and told the AP's Roger Alford that he won't say anything bad about Jim Bunning but he's weighing the possibility of running if Bunning doesn't. Here's the AP story: ...Steve Nunn tells CNHI's Ronnie Ellis that he'll be cleared of the allegation that he hit his girlfriend. Also today, nunn's former wife came to his defense. WHAS 11 News was the first to report that a Lexington woman had requested an emergency protective order against Nunn earlier this month. Here's Ellis' story: ...On the watch of former Chief Justice Joseph Lambert, close to a billion dollars is being spent on new courthouses across Kentucky. After a series of articles in the Lexington Herald-Leader, the new CJ is calling for a full scale audit of the construction program. ...Gov. Steve Beshear's job approval rating is exactly the same as it was a month ago, according to the newest Survey USA/WHAS11 poll. 48 percent of Kentuckians approve of the job Beshear is doing, 46% don't. January's numbers were 48%-45%. It appears eastern Kentuckians still haven't forgiven Beshear for meddling in the state senate election t... The Abramson administration is trying a new move to keep from paying millions of dollars in back pay it owes to Louisville firefighters. After losing an eight year court battle over the pay, an attorney for the city has filed a motion claiming "sovereign immunity." In other words, Larry Zielke is claiming the firefighters couldn't sue the city in the first place a... The CPE is apparently ready to limit tuition increases at U of L and UK to five percent next school year. ...St. Stephen Church will be the site of the local memorial service for former Louisville Alderman and state Rep. Paul Bather: ...About 100 people rallied in the Capitol Rotunda today. Most of the folks at the "Fairness Rally" were there to protest SB 68, a bill filed by Senator Gary Tapp that would bar unmarried couples who are living together from adopting children or serving as foster parents. Opponents claim that could leave a number of kids who are in state custody from moving into homes of gay and lesbian couples who would be great parents. Tapp says all kids de... Governor Steve Beshear has released an overall picture of Kentucky's spending from the federal stimulus bill but few details have emerged. Senate President David Williams told GOP senators today that they should get together with other lawmakers from their areas and come up with a priority list for road construction spending in their areas. Legislative leaders are ... Democratic Lt. Governor Dan Mongiardo has called on U.S. Senator Jim Bunning to call off his reelection bid. Help me out here. Why would a potential democratic challenger WANT Bunning out of the race at this point? Here's the release from Mongiardo: ...The number two man in the state agency that oversees Kentucky's domestic violence programs has been placed on administrative leave after his girlfriend filed an EPO against him. ...
Kentucky mayors have submitted a long laundry list of projects that they say are "shovel ready" and could use federal stimulus money to get going. Here's a web page that put all of the wish lists together including specific projects being requested by Kentucky cities. ...The state audit report on the Lexington airport is out and it's not pretty. A series of articles in the Lexington Herald-Leader prompted the investigation which found airport managers spending airport money at strip clubs and to pay for their country club dues. ...A bill that would give the legislature more power over a governor's executive orders is being heard in committee today. Also on the agenda in Frankfort is a rally by the Kentucky Fairness Alliance. They're hot about Sen. Gary Tapp's bill that bar unmarried, cohabitating couples, including gays and lesbians, from adopting children in Kentucky. ...It looks like the head of the Republican Senate Campaign committee is throwing Sen. Mitch McConnell under the bus. Sen. John Cornyn says it was a McConnell staffer who asked that he meet with state Senate President David Williams to talk about the 2010 race. Yesterday, incumbent Senator Jim Bunning said he'd sue Cornyn if the GOP comm... As metro government's budget crisis was looming, the Metro Parks Department spent more than $600,000 on new lawn mowers. That's about $100,000 more than the city plans to save by closing Otter Creek Park. Metro parks officials say the mowers are much more efficient and a good buy. Here's the story. ...President Barack Obama's job approval rating has dropped among Kentuckians polled by Survey USA. The new poll shows Obama's approval rating at 57%, down from 62% in late January. And the president's negatives are way up. 37% of those polled disapprove of the job he's doing, up 12% from January. Obama's lowest numbers are in eastern Kentucky... For 21 years I've been taking a camera into polling places on election day and getting video of people casting their ballots. I've only had one person get upset and that was a guy who was signing up to vote absentee last year. He probably lied on the affidavit which required him to say he'd be out of town on election day. Anyway, it sounds like Sen. David Givens might want to limit that media access to polling places in the future. Here's ... In his weekly conference call with print and radio reporters, Senator Jim Bunning says he might sue the Republican Senate campaign committee if they recruit another republican to run against him. Republican state senate President David Williams met with key republicans in Washington last week to talk about a possible... Political blogger and former mayoral candidate Ed Springston has filed a complaint with the Registry of Election Finance that alleges District Judge Katie King, Metro Councilman Jim King and King Southern Bank conspired to illegally finance some of Katie King's campaign for judge. Here's the story. ...The guy who's pushing hard for legalizing slots at racetracks without a referendum, apparently owned part of a racehorse. But Greg Stumbo failed to list his tie to the horse industry on his financial disclosure form. ...U.S. Senator Jim Bunning has apologized for his remarks about Justice Ginsburg's health. Here's Bunning's statement: ...The American Humane Society has given an award to two Kentucky lawmakers who helped pass legislation to crack down on people who abuse animals. ...State Senate President David Williams told WHAS Radio talk show host "Francene" that he's keeping his options open in regards to a possible run for U.S. Senate next year. Williams says he hasn't made any final decisions but isn't ruling out a run for a different post in 2010. Frankfort political watchers wouldn't be surprised to see Williams looking around for something else to do, but a run for U.S. Senate seems unlikely because Williams wo... Kentucky banks are getting millions of dollars from the $700 billion federal bailout bill passed by Congress and signed by President Bush last year. But it doesn't look like many of the banks are using the money for new loans. ...U.S. Senator Jim Bunning told a republican crowd in Elizabethtown that he believes Supreme Court Justice Ruth Ginsberg will die within 9 months. Here's the account of Bunning's speech from the C-J. ...
The Kentucky Gazette is reporting that Owensboro lawyer Charlie Moore is the frontrunner to follow Jennifer Moore into the top job with the Kentucky Democratic Party. The incoming and outgoing chairmen are apparently related. ...The two leaders of the Kentucky House and Senate want to set up an investigative agency within the legislature which could thumb its nose at court orders and open records requests. The Speaker's response to the C-J story, which doesn't address the public records and accountability problems with the bill, is right after the jump: ...Two Kentucky congressmen got earmarks placed in a bill that has ties to a questionable lobbying firm. Here's the story from The Bridge. ...Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson has more detractors than he's ever had. But he should get some praise this week for owning up to mistakes made in the Metro Housing Department and showing some thicker skin with reporters than he's shown in the past. ...At the same time the state is trying to get Oakwood recertified to receive federal Medicaid funds, they're suing the feds over the decision to cut off funding to the state owned facility for the mentally retarded. Here's the story ...The Kentucky Bar Association has named a Lexington attorney to run the day-to-day operation until they find a fulltimer. Jim Deckard recently resigned as the KBA's executive director to go work for a Lexington law firm. ...This one will look at early childhood development: ...A bill that require Kentucky nursing homes to prominently display their federal rating near the front door is running into quite a bit of opposition from the nursing home industry. They say the federal, five star rating system is unfair and therefore, they shouldn't be required to post them where everyone coming into their facility can see them. Here's >> Continue reading: Nursing Home Ratings Have Detractors Crit Luallen's troops have been busy bees the past couple of months. Next week, the State Auditor will release the investigation of the Lexington Bluegrass Airport administration's expenses. ...I'm subbing for Ferrell Wellman as the host of KET's Comment on Kentucky this Friday. Here's the lineup: Stephenie Steitzer from the C-J, Roger Alford from AP's Frankfort Bureau and a newcomer, Dan Klepal, who covers Louisville Metro government for the C-J. I know I'm breaking tradition by having two reporters from the same media outlet on the show but I really wanted Klepal. So tough it out or turn the channel! ...Drunk drivers who kill someone else could no longer get their prison sentences cut short under a bill that passed a Kentucky House committee on Wednesday. ...It's tolls or nothing for the Ohio River Bridges Project. The long awaited bridges project doesn't qualify for any federal stimulus package money. Here's the story. ...It looks like a bit of an overstatement but Kentucky's governor is claiming the Bluegrass State now has the highest standards for constructing energy efficient public buidlings. Here's the release from the Beshearites: ...Kentucky schools will get a big chunk of change from the federal stimulus bill. But you can bet that Kentucky lawmakers will attach some strings on the way that money is spent. ...The same U.S. Senator's who had grilled the new Treasury Secretary and former colleague Tom Daeschle about their failure to pay back taxes, are refusing to answer questions about their own federal tax histories. Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning is among those refusing to say whether he owes back taxes or made mistakes on his IRS forms. ...The brother of democratic state Sen. Walter Blevins has landed a non-merit job in the Beshear administration. ...Ashley Judd showed up at a rally in Frankfort today, bad mouthing coal companies for using mountaintop removal to get to the coal. ...In an effort to lure a NASCAR Sprint Cup race to northern Kentucky, state lawmakers and Gov. Beshear are pushing for an extension of tax breaks to Kentucky Speedway. ...Good thing these guys weren't around when I was in college! ...State Auditor Crit Luallen says Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson must take some of the blame for what she calls "gross mismanagement" in the Louisville Metro Housing and Family Services Department. Luallen says the accountability and management problems are the worst she's seen in a large government agency. The special audit of the Louisville department was prompted by news stories about former director Kimberly Bunton who used tax dollars to...
The White House is putting out a bunch of numbers related to the local impact of the federal stimulus bill that President Obama is signing today. Here's a link to the estimated number of jobs that will be created or saved in each congressional district. Louisville is Kentucky's 3rd congressional district. ...
Shelby County republican state senator Gary Tapp has caused quite a stir with his proposed bill that would bar gay and lesbian Kentuckians from adopting children. Here's the story from the AP: ...17 Kentucky state lawmakers who signed Grover Norquist's no tax pledge voted for the increase in alcohol and tobacco taxes last week in Frankfort. Kypolitics.org has the list. Just one man's view - it was stupid for those lawmakers to sign the "no tax pledge" in the first place. It's like a pro-choice lawmaker signing a pledge to never vote for a bill restricting abortions in any way. There are always extenuating circumstances that arise a... The guy who had to put up with a slew of Open Records requests from me, Fox's Dick Irby and the C-J is no longer the general counsel for the Arena Authority. ...The car assigned to former Education Commissioner Jon Draud has sold on Ebay. The C-J has the story. ...Kentucky's Secretary of State has a new feature that political junkies and lobbyists should love. You can now be notified when the governor signs or vetoes a bill. Here's the release from the SOS office: ...Some republican congressmen are touting the projects for their area that are included in the federal stimulus bill. That bragging is coming after they voted against the bill. ...By a 56%-38% margin, Kentuckians favor a 6% sales tax on alcohol sales to help cover the state budget shortfall. That's according to a Survey USA/WHAS 11 poll completed this week. The poll shows people in western and eastern Kentucky overwhelmingly favor the tax hike on booze sales at stores while people around Louisville and in Northcental Kentucky are evenly split. For the most part, Kentucky's 30 wet counties are around Louisville and no... The taxpayers of Oldham County will have to cough up $2600 for their county officials' obvious violation of Kentucky's open records and open meetings laws. ...State Senate President David Williams says Kentucky is going to be the state with the wisest use of its federal stimulus money. He, Greg Stumbo, Gov. Beshear and local officials will have a little over $7 billion to work with. ...The Huffington Post is reporting that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell may have conceded a quick vote on the controversial stimulus bill so he could get out of Washington and on to a President's weekend vacation. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was accused of calling for a quick vote on the stimulus package because she also had a... A new Survey USA/WHAS 11 news poll shows Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson with his lowest job approval rating since we began polling this issue 3 years ago. The poll shows Abramson's job approval rating at 54% while 43% of Jefferson Countians disapprove. That's down 13 points from the last time we polled this issue in October and lower than Abramson's previous bottoming out in >> Continue reading: Abramson's Job Approval Hits All-time Low Southern Indiana congressman Baron Hill has sent a letter to Brown-Forman executives, urging them to consider moving some of the their company to Indiana. Hill sent the letter after seeing media reports about B-F's clash with Kentucky state lawmakers over their bill to increase taxes on alcohol to help balance the state budget. B-F has its corporate headquarters in Louisville and employs about 1300 people. Here's Hill's letter: ...Senators David Boswell and Brandon Smith changed their votes overnight, giving Governor Beshear, Sen. David Williams and House Speaker Greg Stumbo the win they were looking for on the budget balancing deal they'd cut. Boswell and Smith both voted against the plan on Thursday in the Senate A and R committee but voted for it on the Senate floor today, offsetting the switch to a "no" vote by Sen. Elizabeth Tori. The measure, which includes high... There was an ironic twist to the way different pieces of legislation were passing through the legislature on Thursday. In room 171, a House committee was looking at state incentive programs for the film and other industries. Right next door, at the same time, in room 169, a senate committee was voting to hike taxes on products made in Kentucky, tobacco and liquor. More: ...As part of his full court press to pass the budget balancing bill in the Senate on Friday, Governor Beshear has handed state lawmakers a list of cuts to each school district if the compromise package doesn't pass. The assumption is that the school districts would take a 6.1% hit in state funding if the bill doesn't pass. Here's part of the list: ...Inez, Ky. banker and former National Republican Party Chairman Mike Duncan is landing on his feet. The TVA has picked Duncan as its next chairman. ...Sen. Elizabeth Tori of Hardin County had to change her vote to "aye" in order for the budget balancing bill to escape from the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee today. The committee vote was 8-8, which would have killed the bill, when chairman Sen. Charlie Borders, Sen. Dan Kelly and onlooker Sen. David Williams realized the bill was in trouble and they needed someone to switch sides. Tori did just that. But any tax hike bill havi... Rep. Ron Crimm has never voted for a gambling bill during his dozen years in the state legislature. Today, he did in the House Licensing and Occupations Committee. And he wasn't alone. There wasn't a single "no" vote on Greg Stumbo's slots-at-the-tracks bill during the committee meeting today. But while the bill appears to have momentum, it's not going anywhere other than the House A and R committee this session. Here's >> Continue reading: Slots Bill Passes Committee With GOP Votes The head of the State Division of Water has been seriously hurt in a car wreck. James Bruggers of the C-J has the story. ...Sen. Denise Harper-Angel has proposed legislation that would force chain restaurants to post calorie information in their stores: ...Governor Beshear says he met with about two dozen House members over the past 24 hours, encouraging them to vote for the budget balancing package that includes higher taxes on alcohol and cigarettes. Some lawmakers came around after Beshear promised them he would begin pushing for comprehensive tax reform immediately following the 2009 session. The House voted 66-34 to pass the budget plan today. Here's my >> Continue reading: House Passes Tax Bill After Beshear Arm Twisting Rep. Joni Jenkins of Louisville has proposed legislation that would require portable defibrillators at every high school sports practice and game. The bill also requires that ice baths be avaiable at any practice or game when the temperature is above 94 degrees. The bill is in reaction to the heat related death of a PRP football player last year. His coach has now been charged with a felony in connection with the death. ...Governor Beshear is scheduled to testify in the Lion's Den, formerly known as the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee on Thursday morning. Also on the morning agenda, a special meeting of the House Licensing and Occupations Committee which will take Speaker Stumbo's video slots bill off the back burner and stick it in the microwave. ...President Barack Obama's legal staff is following Bush administration policies on allowing reporters and others access to records that might be considered public. ...Democrats have picked up a seat in the state senate with a win yesterday in Bowling Green. Democrat Mike Reynolds beat republican Marshall Hughes to win the seat that was formerly held by Congressman Brett Guthrie. ...Former Louisville Alderman and state representative Paul Bather has died at age 62. ...A few observations from Tuesday's action in Frankfort: ...
It was their own "Boston Tea Party." Kentucky's bourbon makers dumped bottles of the sweet liquid on the capitol steps today in protest of the legislature's proposal to extend the state sales tax to all alcohol sales. The bourbon dumping was the last leg of a long day of lobbying by Kentucky's liquor industry which included a raucous rally in the Capitol Rotunda and a long line of beer and liquor trucks circling the capitol building. See my... The state Senate has approved a bill that would overhaul Kentucky's student testing system. ...The AP's Roger Alford has the scoop on Tuesday's hearing in the bid rigging case against former Transportation Secretary Bill Nighbert and contractor Leonard Lawson: ...A bill proposed by a western Kentucky state senator would allow 16-year-olds to preregister to vote. Here's the release from Sen. Jerry Rhoads: ...Check out this Pew Research Center poll on how political views are reflected in the places Americans would prefer to live. ...
A new Survey USA/WHAS 11 poll shows a majority of Kentuckians don't think students should be forced to make up school days lost to the wind and ice storms this school year. Here's the poll. Last night, the Jefferson County School Board voted to make up the lost days, meaning my kids will be in school until June 3rd. My wife and ...
The federal government and Metro Ethics Commission took a look at Louisville Deputy Mayor Bill Summers after the city revealed he had a potential conflict of interest because Summers' son and his business partner's son were both hired to work in the Metro Housing Department, the same agency that was overseeing a federal housing loan that Bill Summers had. WHAS 11 News >> Continue reading: Deputy Mayor Had Family, Business Links To Troubled Housing Department In an effort to head off efforts to scrap the CATS test and deep six KERA, the Kentucky Department of Education and State Board of Education have issued a position paper on the future of KERA. In essence, it says any future testing must do a better job of tracking individual students' progress from grade to grade and must narrow the focus of Kentucky teachers who are trying to teach too much in too little time. Here's the position paper. It... Over the next couple of days you'll be hearing plenty of lobbying against a hike in booze taxes from Kentucky's alcohol industry. The first thing I heard on Friday was that Kentucky has the seventh highest tax on liquor in the United States. So I tried to figure out if that's true. It's not that easy. So here's a chart for you folks who want to do a little research for yourselves. ... A new Survey USA/WHAS 11 News poll has found 60% of Kentuckians in favor of allowing video slot machines at Kentucky racetracks. 38% oppose the idea according to the poll. ...The state of Kentucky is once again trying to sell the controversial state vehicle that caused quite a bit of flak for outgoing Education Commissioner Jon Draud. ...
Some Kentucky County Judge-Executives say Kentucky's Emergency Management agency was slow to respond to last week's ice storm. But Governor Steve Beshear says he's pleased with the state's response to what will likely be the most costly and damaging storm in Kentucky's history. ...House Speaker Greg Stumbo and Senate President David Wiliams said today that they've agreed on a framework for a budget bill and hope to convince their members to approve the plan next week. The leaders of the House and Senate say the proposal to cover the state's $459 million shortfall will include higher taxes on alcohol and cigarettes and cuts to state agencies similar to what Gov. Beshear recommended (4%). Williams says the plan also inv... The statewide organization that lobbies on issues important to gay, lesbian, transgender and transexual Kentuckians has hired an executive director. It's Christopher Hartman who was most recently the spokesman for Congressman John Yarmuth's reelection campaign. ...A Louisville lawmaker has proposed an amendment to a bill that would bar Kentucky's 49 completely dry counties from getting any benefit from Kentucky's tax on alcohol. Rep. Steve Riggs says alcohol taxes should be treated like coal severance taxes, which are only returned to coal producing counties. Here's the news release from Riggs: ...The U.S. Senate has rejected a religious amendment and a lobbying disclosure amendment that were targeted for the Stimulus Bill. ...A new Survey USA/WHAS 11 News poll shows Kentuckians are evenly split on whether to raise, lower or keep the state's cigarette tax at the same 30 cents per pack level. ...The man who served as general counsel for former Governor Ernie Fletcher is resigning from his post as head of the Kentucky Bar Association. Jim Deckard is quitting as the KBA's director to join a republican-leaning law firm in Lexington. ...Just like the "Law and Order" series on NBC, there will be a new actor in room 327 of the Capitol Building at 8:30 a.m. New House Speaker Greg Stumbo will join the cast for what used to be a weekly ritual during legislative sessions, "The Jody and David Show." In 2006, former Speaker Jody Richards pulled the plug on the weekly Friday morning news conferences with Senate President David Williams. Those episodes were watched religiously by e... A bill that would bar candidates, political parties and others from pestering Kentuckians with automated phone call messages passed a House committee today. The bill would bar the calls to any phone number on the state's No Call List. ...A poll done in conjunction with the Daily Kos political blog shows Sen. Jim Bunning leading potential democratic challengers Mongiardo, Chandler, Luallen and Conway. The same poll shows Republican Secretary of State Trey Grayson faring well against the same democrats if the election were held today. ...A bill being backed by Kentucky's law enforcement agencies and key state senators would bar the release of 911 recordings to the public. Kentucky's Open Records Act allows radio and TV stations to get 911 calls as long as they're not part of an ongoing criminal investigation. The senate bill would bar their release. So the recordings from children calling for help, including one the other day from a Louisville 5-year-old, would no longer be... There won't be any members of House leadership anymore. But they'll still be involved in budget negotiations, according to Public Radio's Tony McVeigh. ...Just a thought. Political watchers in Frankfort have been asking an obvious question over the past few weeks. It goes something like this: "What is David Williams getting in return for supporting tax hikes to balance the state budget?" Maybe we now know the answer. ...Governor Beshear's administration has hired a couple more politically-connected folks into non-merit state jobs. ...Louisville's Mayor wants L,G and E to look at the possibility of burying more electric lines and getting rid of the overhead wires that keep tumbling down. L,G and E has balked at the idea of burying more lines saying its much more expensive and tougher to repair if a line breaks. But one out-of-town electric lineman who's working to restore power in Louisville t... No, not for buying drugs for himself silly!!!!!! The Attorney General has joined AGs in other states in asking the feds to restore funding for fighting drug trafficking. Here's the release from Conway's office: ...
The Jefferson County Attorney says liens placed on the Museum Plaza project won't affect the city's stake in the project. ...Congressman John Yarmuth has asked the feds to provide disaster assistance to the thousands of farmers in Louisville. Just kidding. There are still a few farms in Jefferson County but Yarmuth's request is for statewide assistance. Here's his letter to the USDA: ...
Kentucky's health advocates are hearing the same thing I first reported here on Monday, that legislative leaders are working toward a budget saving package that includes a 30 cents per pack increase in the cigarette tax. That's 40 cents less than what Governor Beshear is proposing. Here's the response to the suspected compromise from Amy Barkley who's with the organization Tobacco Free Kids: ...Kentucky lawmakers are already talking about giving Kentucky school districts the chance to waive some of the school days they've lost to Hurricane Ike and last week's ice storm. House Speaker Greg Stumbo says the districts will get "some relief" and state Rep. Mike Cherry will be proposing a bill that will allow schools in disaster declared counties to cut their school year from 177 days to 167 days. Here's >> Continue reading: Lawmakers Preparing To Let Schools Cut Make Up Days House Speaker Greg Stumbo has drawn fire from Baptist ministers in Eastern Kentucky for claiming some of them don't view video slots at racetracks as an expansion of gambling. ...Senate President David Williams said for the first time today that new revenue, tax hikes, will be needed to cover the state's 459 million dollar budget shortfall. But House and Senate leaders say they haven't agreed on what taxes will be raised or by how much. I'm hearing the numbers being tossed around behind closed doors are a 30 cents per pack increase in the c... Kentucky's acting Education Commissioner has sent an e-mail to all school districts and other education officials, detailing the options the school districts have in making up the days lost to power outages caused by Hurricane Ike and last week's ice storm. Here's the e-mail from Farris: ...Rep. Jim Wayne of Louisville is again proposing changes to Kentucky's tax code that would result in tax cuts for lower income families and tax hikes for those earning more than $75,000/yr. House Speaker Greg Stumbo says Wayne's proposal hasn't been discussed by the Governor and legislative leaders. It probably won't be but here's the news release from Rep. Wayne: ...A variety of sources say democratic leaders in Frankfort have settled on a 30 cents-per-pack increase in the cigarette tax combined with more budget cuts as the best way to solve Kentucky's budget problem. The question now is whether Senate republicans will go along with the plan. ...Kentucky's private agencies that care for abused and neglected children say state budget cuts are killing their ability to provide services for the state's most vulnerable kids. ...The Lexington Herald-Leader is reporting that one of the state lawmakers ensnared in the BOPTROT probe is now pushing House Speaker Greg Stumbo's bill to legalize video slot machines at race tracks. Jerry Bronger is a long time friend of Stumbo's. ...Governor Steve Beshear is asking the feds to cover the first seven days of costs from the worst natural disaster ever to hit Kentucky. ...Governor Beshear plans to seek an immediate major disaster declaration from President Barack Obama which would make federal funds immediately available. I'm headed back to Grayson Co. today which is making progress in getting supplies to folks without power. But 70% of the county's homes are still without electricity. ...A bill that would allow Kentucky cities and counties to delay payments into the state's ailing retirement system is sure to face some roadblocks in the Kentucky legislature. ...Former C-J political writer Al Cross has a decent column today on how Mitch McConnell has turned into Jim Bunning's biggest roadblock to reelection. ...A bill in the Kentucky legislature would allow fines for anyone who stops a mother from breastfeeding in public. ... |
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WHAS11.com Political Blog
WHAS11 Reporters blog the latest political news from the campaign trail and beyond. 
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